Georgia

Introductions

• Name - Profession/Student. Where?

• A food you like. LIKE = enjoy, have a preference for, am partial to, find/take pleasure in, appreciate, love, adore, relish I adore carrots. - I love eggplant. - I enjoy eating cake.

• A food you dislike. DISLIKE = find distasteful, have an aversion to, have no liking/taste for, hate, detest, loathe, abhor, despise, be unable to bear/stand, shrink from, shudder at, find repellent I shudder at the notion of eating ketchup. - I loathe mustard. I find mayonnaise repellent.

• Predict the first snowfall in Kremenchuk. Guess what day will we have first snow this fall/winter.

Swastika

• The swastika is an equilateral cross with its

arms bent at right angles.

– equilateral - having all its sides of the same

length.

• The swastika is still used in Indian Religions,

specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism and

Jainism, as a sacred symbol of good luck.

• Swastikas have also been used in other ancient

civilizations around the world.

Swastika

• Earliest archaeological evidence of swastikas dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization in India.

– Indus - river in southern Asia, about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) long, that flows from Tibet to the Arabian Sea.

– The Indus Valley Civilization flourished from c. 2600 to 1760 bc.

Swastika

• The swastika was used as a

symbol of the Nazi Party

of Germany in 1920.

• During the 1930s, a

swastika was incorporated

into the Nazi party flag,

which was made the State

Flag of Germany.

Swastika

• Now, the Swastika is associated with Nazism and White Supremacism since the 1930s in the western world and is now stigmatized.

– Stigmatize - worthy of disgrace or great disapproval

• It is outlawed in Germany if used as a symbol of Nazism.

• Modern political extremists and Neo-Nazi groups use swastikas or similar symbols.

Georgia

Motto: Dzala ertobashia - "Strength is in Unity”

Capital (and largest city)

Tbilisi is the capital and largest city in Georgia.

Kiev is the capital and largest city in Ukraine.

Presidential Palace

Georgian Government

Unitary semi-presidential republic unitary: country is governed as a single unit semi-presidential: president and prime minister “share” power republic: people retain power over the government - people elect representatives

Ukraine is a unitary semi-presidential republic.

Most Eureopean governments are unitary semi-presidential republics.

Modern Statehood

- Independence from Russian Empire - May 26, 1918

- Independence from the Soviet Union Finalized - December 25, 1991

Area - 69,700 km2 (120th) - 26,911 sq mi

• Ukraine is 46th largest country. (View of Tbilisi).

Population -

~ 4,636,400 (121st).

Ukraine has

~ 45,706,126 and is

the 29th most populas

nation.

Tbilisi after dark.

An aside….Population

• China (1st) - 1,339,724,852

• India (2nd) - 1,210,193,422

• USA (3rd) - 312,162,00

• Ukraine (29th) - 45,706,126

• Georgia (121th) - 4,636,400

Ethnic Groups

83.8% Georgian,

6.5% Azeri,

5.7% Armenian,

1.5% Russian,

2.5% others

Ukraine

77.8% Ukrainian,

17.3% Russian,

4.9% Other

Official language

• Georgian

Other languages

• 71% Georgian

• 9% Russian

• 7% Armenian

• 6% Azeri

• 7% others.

Religion

83.9% Orthodox

Christianity

3.9% Armenian

Christians

9.9% Muslims

0.8% Roman Catholics

Sameba (Trinity)

Cathedral in Tbilisi.

Construction lasted 18

years - 1995-2003.

Georgian Christian

architecture is known

as the Georgian

cross-dome style.

Cross-dome

architecture

developed in Georgia

during the 9th

century.

Sameba (Trinity)

Cathedral in Tbilisi.

Andrea and James’ Excellent Adventure

Photos courtesy of

Andrea Zimmerman.

Our traveling companion and

fellow PCV - Yeri

On our way to Telavi.

Telavi

Home stay

Sighnavi a fortress in the

mountains. In the

distance, Azerbaijan hills.

During its history, Sighnavi has never been captured or take over by an enemy. In the distance, Azerbaijan hills.

Near Telavi - Monastery in the

hills.

Restoration of frescos.

Ancient university and monastery under

renovation. Note: The center for tourists and

updated road.

BBQ in the hills near Telavi.

In Georgia, there is a

series of approximately

32 toasts.

In Georgia, women

drink red wine and men

drink white.

Our host.

Near Gori is the cave town of Uplistsikhe. From the 4th century BC until 4th century AD it was the cultural center of East Georgia.

During the best of times, 20,000

people lived in Uplistsikhe.

During the middle ages,

Uplistsikhe was a stop on the

silk route from Byzantium and

India.

The cave town is

carved into soft

stone.

View from Uplistsikhe.

More ruins.

Baratashvili Bridge

(Bridge of Peace)

spans the Mtkvari

River.

Tbilisi

The average temperature during our stay 42C (107F).

Freedom Square

Buildings near the Presidential Palace and Sameba (Trinity) Cathedral.

People lived in these

buildings

Nariqala - principal

fortress of the city from

4th - 18th century.

Dancing water fountain in the park below the presidential palace.

The fortress, Nariqala, at night.

A scary looking Mother Georgia.

Mother Georgia…

The new business center.

Tbilisi has a rich

café culture.

All three of the

people in this

picture have been

to Kremenchuk.

…and now we’re back in Kremenchuk.